NHL Player Goes Back to School to Keep an Edge

Instead of facing off against the Red Wings, Bruins or Penguins, professional hockey player Matt Martin spent the past few months hitting the ice on campus.

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Matt Martin practices on the ice at the New York Islanders' home rink at the Nassau Coliseum.
Jeff Zelevansky for The Wall Street Journal

During the National Hockey League lockout, the New York Islander returned to his native Windsor, Ontario, and stayed active by skating with the University of Windsor's hockey team. The ice time with the students wasn't as physical as life in the NHL, but Mr. Martin was able to keep up his stickhandling and skating skills with the college team. "They let me work out and skate every day. It was just nice to be involved with practices and get that up-tempo feel," he said.

As a left wing for the Islanders, the 23-year-old is one of three offensive players on the ice. His role is to establish a physical presence on both ends of the ice. At 6 feet 3, 205 pounds, he proved himself worthy of the task by dealing out 374 hits and establishing a new NHL record last year.

When the NHL ended its lockout on Jan. 12 and announced the 2013 season would start a week later, what Mr. Martin did during his time off suddenly became more important than ever.

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Part of the 23-year-old left wing's off-the-ice workout focuses on building lower-body strength with weights and squats.
Jeff Zelevansky for The Wall Street Journal

They had just a six-day training camp to prepare for the season, having not played a game since April 7. And this year's 48-game condensed schedule will be equal parts sprint and grind. Fortunately, he has prepared for both.

He augmented his skating sessions with the Windsor team by adhering to an off-season workout prescribed by the Islanders' director of sports performance, Sean Donellan. His focuses included working on leg strength and speed. At the end of the season, they "tell us what to improve and put together a program for us," said Mr. Martin.

He also played in several charity games in the U.S. and Canada, which helped him with the mental challenges of the long layoff. The exhibitions' participants included some NHL veterans of prior lockouts, who offered advice. They "told me to not get too high or too low mentally and continue working on the things you need to and just be ready for when the season starts."

The team faces an uphill battle in 2013, having last qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in the 2006-2007 season and having last won it in 1983.

The Workout

As part of the pregame preparation, the team watches video of an opponent's power plays and penalty kills, and then the players practice against those techniques on ice. On-ice sprints, as well as off, and drills designed to build transitional speed and quick first steps are integral.

In the weight room, the emphasis is on building strength and power. Two cornerstones of the Islanders' workout are the bench press for the upper body and squats for lower-body strength.

Mr. Martin's weight routine includes the dead lift and the squat, as well as the overhead Bulgarian squat. For that, he'll maintain one leg extended and slightly elevated behind his body, while squatting with an overhead weight. "Those exercises not only build strength, but correct neuromuscular imbalances to improve speed," said Mr. Donellan.

To prepare for fights on the ice, Mr. Martin has a boxing coach in Windsor who trains him on the mechanics of throwing and eluding punches. He regularly works the speed bag for technique and conditioning.

Mr. Martin also focuses extensively on his skating technique. Video coach Matt Bertani will break down his form on film and the two will work on drills for improvement. In a recent practice, Mr. Martin worked with Mr. Bertani on what is known as an edge drill. The two placed a pair of gloves down on center ice, and Mr. Martin executed tight, figure-eight turns while shifting weight between inside and outer skates.

He runs to maintain his fitness, but it usually involves sprinting. "We're not really long-distance athletes, we're on the ice for 45 seconds and then we're off. It's not in our programs," he said.

The Diet

Mr. Martin sticks to a diet that will maintain his body mass while not overloading it. He avoids white bread, while loading up on whole wheat as well as brown rice.

"I just try to eat as clean as possible and eat a lot of chicken, steak and fish."

It's important to refuel after the depletion that comes from the demands of a hockey game. "If you're not getting enough fuel, you're going to wear out."

The Gear

Players are typically sponsored by companies. Mr. Martin, who shoots left-handed, uses a Warrior Widow hockey stick, which costs in the range of $115 to $130. He wears an Easton E400 helmet, which costs from $70 to $100. He wears $800 Bauer Supreme TotalOne skates. The CCM shoulder pads he wears range from $85 to $150 and his Warrior Franchise hockey gloves can cost as much as $225. His Warrior Franchise hockey pants range around $190. He wears skate guards for added foot protection, which cost about $80 pair.

The Challenges of a Post-Lockout NHL Season

The New York Islanders face unique challenges for the 2013 season after the long lockout, said Sean Donellan, the team's director of sports performance.

Here are some issues the players will confront:

Short recovery time. The Islanders will play roughly every two days this season, compared with every 2.2 days in 2011-2012. Although seemingly nominal, the difference will quickly add up. Proper recovery will be essential, particularly in maintaining hydration. Mr. Donellan has the players weighed every day they practice or play to make sure they aren't dehydrated, he said. "You don't want a situation where every day they're coming in a half pound lighter."

Little preseason preparation. Hockey is a uniquely taxing sport to prepare for, even with a full training camp. "It's a high intensity, intermittent exercise sport, similar to basketball, but the physical nature adds more elements, like football."

Lack of extensive base-line testing. This year Mr. Donellan will be limited in some of the base-line preseason testing that is especially critical to hockey. These involve physical assessments to help identify imbalances, particularly in players' hips, that can be corrected through the team's in-season programs. "The human body wasn't meant to skate," Mr. Donellan said. "Because of the specificity of the skating mechanics, we have to identify specific imbalances and attack those imbalances off the ice." Players will do exercises as simple as leg raises with weight to more specific exercises tailored to their individual musculoskeletal profile.

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